According to YouTube channel RedGamingTech, AMD may have canceled the new Ryzen CPU that was expected this year. The Zen 3+ refresh, reportedly codenamed "Warhol," was scheduled for later this year, but has apparently disappeared from some roadmaps. The main reason cited is the current supply issues affecting the industry as a whole, which makes sense, but it is also possible that it was simply removed from the roadmap in error.

One of the most intriguing aspects of this Zen 3+ refresh is that it will use TSMC's 6nm manufacturing process. At least according to some slides, and older slides indicated that it would use the same 7nm process as the Zen 3.

This is a somewhat odd process for AMD, as performance gains are not expected to be much at this node, and Zen 4 will still use TSMC's 5nm process The new node, named 6N by TSMC, is merely a tweaked version of the 7N process that AMD currently uses but is compatible with previous designs. As such, it is not a node that AMD felt it necessary to try before its next big announcement. Still, AMD's shift from 14nm to 12nm for the Zen+ refresh is not without precedent.

No serious architectural changes were expected for the Zen3+ refresh, but rather a single-digit IPC improvement to keep AMD's chips competitive with Intel's offerings.

There is currently not much difference between Intel and AMD, at least when it comes to gaming, and if anything, it is the supply situation that gives Intel the lead when it comes to sales.

Intel is arguably the company to watch this year as it releases one of the biggest gambles in processor design in recent memory, the launch of Alder Lake. These CPUs are BIG.LITTLE hybrid designs (a combination of a traditional core and an efficient Atom-based core) and will support DDR5 and PCI Express 5.0. [The Zen 4, which offers the same PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 support, is not due until next year. Intel also has high hopes for Alder Lake in terms of performance, but we will have to wait and see on that front. It is a completely new design for a desktop chip and seems like a tremendous gamble for Intel.

However, this may give AMD an opportunity to focus on its current Zen 3 lineup and push to get these processors on store shelves.

We expect to see another Zen 3-based APU this year, which AMD has promised to offer to DIY enthusiasts as well. After all, they are definitely something that will come out during the GPU crisis.